Linux host, boot WXP from different disk

[ealthuis]

I have WXP on one disk, Ubuntu 8.10 on another physical disk, installed Vbox on Linux,try to boot WXP on the first disk, get err 21 all the time. Followed VBox manual to set up vmdk file for VBox.

[Sasquatch]

Search next time, like the Forum Posting Guide says. Read it, search, and you will see a howto in the Windows Guests forum.

[ealthuis]

My apologies, even though it appears the same it is not. The Linux post is the correct problem. I have searched throughout the other posts and not found a problem like mine Indeed I also went to Ubuntu posts and also found no answers.

[Sasquatch]

In what way is your question different from the HOWTO in Windows Guests? You want to run your physical install in VB right?

[ealthuis]

The difference is, that I want to install VBox in Linux on one disk, and then boot Windows XP from a different Windows disk, where the other post suggested the exact reverse.

I keep getting err 21, I can only start VBox as root to even get to that point. If I start it as user it does not even try to boot.

My goal is to not run Windows at all, but I am still forced to do so by Quicken. Until I find a working replacement for Quicken I will have to keep XP.

I did install VBox on a pure Linux system, and had no problems installing XP in the VBox, but I want to use rawdisk on the other computer. I have followed the manual to the letter as far a setting up a VMDK file.

By the way Sasquatch do you really live in Nederland??

[Sasquatch]

By the way Sasquatch do you really live in Nederland??

That's what is says, and last time I checked, it was still called like that.

Your main issue is probably the MBR. In the HowTo is noted exactly how to get that working. Instead of saying "it doesn't work", specify what you have done and what errors you get. You will get a lot more useful feedback. You create the VMDK as root, but change it's owner when it's done, so your normal user can use it. It's all in the howto.

[ealthuis]

I will try.
First the link below the post to howto returns a 404 error
Second I tried chown both as user ea and as root, error: invalid user: '/home/ea/.VirtualBox/rawdiskXP.vmdk,it does not complain about the username ea

I can see that the ownership in user mode would give a problem, but I also tried it as root
As user I start VBox with the winxpvdi, and I get the error:" FATAL: could not read from the boot medium! System halted.
That is correct as I did not install WXP on that virtual disk.Next I click settings, to add the VMDK disk to the list Under General menu i click "advanced" then in "Hard disk"s I click the folder icon on the right hand sideand get the Virtual Disk Manager. In that screen I click "Add" and my folder "ea" where I find my VMDK fileI open the vmdk file and get the following error:
Failed to register the hard disk /home/ea/rawdiskXP.vmdk
VD: error opening image file '/home/ea/rawdiskXP.vmdk'
(VERR_ACCESS_DENIED).

Result code: NS-ERROR-FAILURE (0x80004005)
Component: HardDisk
Interface: lHardDisk { a long ID}
Callee lVirtualBox {a long ID

Now I understand that that error may be caused by the ownership of the fil.

I started VBox as root through Terninal, and the above mentioned virtual disk shows in the VBox screen under "Hard Disks" as IDE primary Master. All's well sofar, now I start VBox using the green arrow and the result is this:

A black screen with a message about capture of mouse etc. OK that next screen shows in the bottom right press F12 for boot, ignore that new screen after a few seconds shows:
GRUB Loading stage 1.5

Grub loading, please wait...
Error 21

The idea is to boot windows from the other hard disk. In normal dual boot mode there are no problems booting either the Windows disk or the Linux disk.

Hope you can understand what I indicated. If you happen to use Ekiga, my number is ea@ekiga.net

EA

[Sasquatch]

You didn't say it was a grub error. The problem is that Grub tries to locate it's files, and it can't do that. It looks for /boot/grub/stage2 and /boot/grub/menu.lst. Now, where are those files located again? Not on the Windows partition, right? That means you need a separate MBR file, just like the HowTo states.

And you get a 404 error on a link, which one? All the links in the first post of the howto (http://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9697) work just fine.

[ealthuis]

Well of course the howto worked this time!! I would assume, that the required files are on the Linux disk. I shall examine the Howto , do what it says and get back to you. In the meantime ga maar lekker slapen
EA

[ealthuis]

I have decided, that I will for the time being not pursue this problem. Reading the "howto's" I see far to many warnings.
My system is working fine as a dual boot, with Windows on one disk and Linux on another. I will wait and see what version 2.1* will do for me. Thank you Sasquatch for your help, I think I am closer to a solution now.

EA